Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Beginning Saturday and continuing over the next few weeks , some of the nation 's most prominent governors will be leaving office as a new crop of state chief executives are sworn in .

Among the more well-known governors who will be leaving office :

-- Republicans Arnold Schwarzenegger of California , Charlie Crist of Florida , Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Mark Sanford of South Carolina

-- Democrats Bill Richardson of New Mexico , David Paterson of New York , Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania , Ted Strickland of Ohio and Jennifer Granholm of Michigan

Some of them are leaving due to term limits , some were defeated and others sought different offices . Some are leaving after having survived high-profile scandals . Others are departing after weathering a myriad of problems affecting their states .

David Paterson , Jennifer Granholm and Bill Richardson will be the first to leave office when their successors are sworn in on Saturday .

Richardson told CNN he is going to stay in Santa Fe , New Mexico , and looks forward to becoming a private citizen after having served as a governor , a cabinet secretary , a United Nations ambassador and a congressman .

`` I 'm going to try to set up a foreign policy institute where I continue my work on peacemaking , on rescuing hostages , on U.S.-Latin American relations . I 'm going to stay active , '' Richardson told CNN 's `` John King USA '' program on Thursday . `` I 'm going to be around -- not in New Mexico politics but more at a national and hopefully international level . But you know I need a pause , the people in New Mexico need a pause from me , probably the country needs a pause from me . ''

Having just returned from a trip to North Korea to help calm recent tensions , Richardson said he intends to stay involved in that issue and other foreign policy matters but does n't rule out returning to Washington one day .

Schwarzenegger 's last day in office is next Monday . It has been a roller coaster for the actor turned politician . After first winning office following the recall of his predecessor , Gray Davis , in 2003 , he promised a new approach .

While his supporters point to major environmental and political reforms in the state , his popularity plummeted as the state 's fiscal problems mounted . California confronted major deficits and financial headaches as Schwarzenegger and legislators faced off trying to find solutions to deal with the red ink .

In an interview in November on NBC 's `` Tonight Show , '' Schwarzenegger said he did not have regrets about his decision to run .

`` It was one of the greatest decisions I ever made because working for the people of California is really was a great pleasure for me , it was a great honor . It was very rewarding to make some of the decisions that had to be made , and we really moved the state forward , '' he told host Jay Leno .

While detractors such as some of the state 's labor unions have criticized some of the decisions he has made , Schwarzenegger pointed to some of his accomplishments .

`` I am very happy I became the reform governor , that we reformed workers compensation , that we reformed the primary -- open primaries so that we bring both of the parties closer together , '' he said . `` I am very happy we took the power away from the legislators and from the lawmakers , the power to draw the district lines ... also all of the environmental laws , '' such as ones to reduce greenhouse gases and to encourage alternative energy sources .

But he also acknowledged some of the financial problems facing the Golden State with declarations of fiscal emergencies and several rounds of major spending cuts to popular programs .

`` I have to say that I am sad that we had a second in my term , a second decline economically , because no matter how much I brag about what we have accomplished it is horrible when you see so many people unemployed . Suddenly people losing their jobs . So many people suffering . ''

On Monday , former governor Jerry Brown , a Democrat , will once again take the helm of the state as it faces a growing budget gap . It is now estimated its deficit will be $ 28 billion over the next 18 months . Even before taking office , Brown has been meeting with state officials and legislators to help find ways of dealing with it .

The most scandal-ridden governor to be leaving office now is South Carolina 's Mark Sanford , whose fiscal conservative credentials were helping to propel his career .

However , last year he admitted lying to his staff when he told them he had gone on a hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail . Instead , it turned into a political crisis .

Before a painful press conference at the state capitol , he went into detail about how he had ventured to Argentina for a rendezvous with a mistress . Eventually his wife , Jenny , divorced him . Despite calls for his resignation and impeachment inquiries , Sanford persisted and stayed in office .

Before Sanford 's last day on January 12 , he is scheduled to tour parts of the state to extend thanks to his supporters .

In an interview with CNN affiliate WCBD in Charleston , Sanford said one of the things he was most proud in his eight years as governor was bringing some fiscal discipline to the state .

One incident of his gubernatorial career will certainly stand out : in 2004 he brought some live pigs into the state house after some of his budget vetoes were overturned , to protest what he considered pork barrel spending . He eventually got his way .

`` It went to the core of whether we have a balanced budget requirement in the state , '' he said .

He told the station in the time since his affair became public it has been a time of some accomplishment for the state .

`` If you look at these last 18 months they have been surprisingly productive , '' he said , pointing to some vetoes of bills amounting to savings of about $ 260 million .

Sanford will be succeeded by Republican state legislator Nikki Haley , a rising star in the GOP .

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Some of the nation 's most prominent governors are wrapping up their terms

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Outgoing Republicans include Schwarzenegger of California and Sanford of South Carolina

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Outgoing Democrats include Richardson of New Mexico and Paterson of New York